Honourary Dilettante Contest Update – Reviews, etc…

Just a quick reminder that if you’ve written reviews, drop me an email helenahannbasquiat@gmail.com with the links.

Yes, I’ve read them, and thank you so very much! But I’m terribly unorganized, so if you could just drop me an email with your reviews and/or pictures (still waiting for the video!) then I can tuck them away in a folder and keep everything together.

“Helena’s writing is both captivating and hilarious. The antics of the dilettante and the Countess kept me entertained throughout the book. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys breathing and knows how to read. Anyone else simply won’t be able to find joy in it.”

“Helena took me in immediately. I could read the antics of her and Countess Penelope all day. My personal favorites were her stories of her time in California as well as her encounters with Cheyenne and the accidental plagiarist. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll want to slap her, then hug her. Well done Helena and many congrats! I can’t wait for Volume 2!”

“Reading Memoirs of a Dilettante is like being let in on a series of inside jokes. The flamboyant language and often ridiculous scenarios are told in a rollicking style that is a pleasure to read in itself. The stories range from humorous to heartfelt and it’s hard to choose which one Helena Hann-Basquiat does better.”

“A creative, delicious romp through the life of your favorite dilettante. I loved the use of footnotes, not to be missed for their hilarious snark. The pictures added a lot to the story as well. Even though the book appears to be a disjointed series of tales on its face, it wraps up with a poignant point that you realize was there all along. Helena lives life. She teaches her niece to do likewise. That she never met a situation that she wouldn’t try is invigorating. Her self-deprecation is funny. Her roundabout methods of storytelling are endearing.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes to smile when they read. To anyone who loves Star Wars and John Hughes. Especially to anyone who wants to hum along while they read. (Morrissey, Jeff Buckley, the list is endless. This book should have a soundtrack.)”

“This is a wonderfully frightening story! It starts off so “innocently”: an unhappy woman with a nasty habit; an unhappy but doting husband trying to help; hints at secrets and guilt but nothing ominous … at first. Beth, the main character who is trying to kick the habit and who harbors secrets, is a complex character, someone I had both disdain and sympathy for. Since the story is from Beth’s perspective, you don’t really know what is happening to her on that soul-searching night with the strangely mysterious sisters. You try and shrug off your fears as much as she does and you keep reading because, well, you may identify with Beth in some way. Perhaps you harbor some secrets, some guilt that you want desperately to share and yet keep to yourself. Perhaps you are unhappy with your life, tormented even, and would make any bargain to regain some peace and sanity. You follow along on Beth’s journey, her quest, until the horrific end. Bell has a wonderful talent for slowly building a story, hooking the reader with her humor and her sharp eye, and for writing characters that stay with you long after the story is finished.”

“Oh my. I really didn’t know what to expect from this story. At first it seemed so cute. Then it turned dark. The dreams, they were dreams, right?, became quite frightening. I loved how it all just seemed to be so logical and make perfect sense…even the dark parts. The psychological tricks our minds can play. Guilt controlling our every move. Read this story. It won’t take long. It will frighten you. It will entertain you. It will linger in your mind.”

“The Best Medicine’s plot parallels that of Resident Evil or Left 4 Dead. A virus outbreak has turned humans into something, well, unhuman. Despite that, I still enjoy this book as Jessica put a bit of a different spin on the virus and how the “zombies” behave. I also enjoyed the macabre ending. Too many authors are afraid of such endings.”

“What can I say about this, but that it is heartbreaking and terrifying all at once? This captivating combination grabs you from the very beginning and doesn’t let go until the end. All the while, Bell does an incredible job painting the picture of a world gone mad, and you follow along on the madness willingly. Even if I weren’t a parent, the characters’ bond and the desperation would have grabbed at my heart. It’s a short story, one easily – and happily, despite the flesh-eating creatures within – devoured.”